THOUSANDS of pensioners are being physically and mentally abused in their own homes by members of their own family, shocking new statistics show. Data published for the first time today lays bare the extent to which the vulnerable and elderly are subject to physical and psychological torture with offenders hiding in plain sight.

Related articles

“It’s time for the Government to stop pretending everything’s all right and toughen up the law so crimes against older people are prosecuted and punished just as seriously as hate crimes based on race, religion, sexuality or disability.”

Over the past 12 months the charity has received 8,961 calls to its free and confidential helpline - equal to 25 a day - with two thirds of abuse reported by female victims.

The average age of a caller was 80.

Almost three quarters of the alleged abuse took place in their own home with 39 per cent of relating to financial crimes and a third of calls complaining of psychological harm.

In 37 per cent of cases the victim said the abuse was carried out by their children with 15 per cent saying it was another family member.

GETTY

Sir Tony Robinson watched his parents die with dementia

The campaign to make elderly abuse an aggravated offence has been backed by Blackadder comedian and Time Team favourite Sir Tony Robinson, who watched his parents die with dementia.

Sir Tony’s civil servant father Leslie was 76 when he died in 1989 while his audio-typist mother Phyllis passed away in 2005 aged 89.

He said: “The calls to the helpline show abuse in care homes is just the tip of the iceberg.

“That’s the thing about elder abuse: it’s often happening disturbingly close to home. And with around one million victims every year in the UK it’s quite likely that you will know of someone who has suffered.

“Abuse can also take many forms. But it is also – in nearly every case – a crime.

“All too often, older people are being targeted precisely because they’re old. And for some crooks, old means vulnerable.”

Analysis of sentencing in UK courts shows less than 0.2 per cent of the estimated annual number of crimes against older people ends in a custodial sentence.

Action on Elder Abuse examined 1,200 cases over the 19 months until April and found of those where defendants were found guilty more than a third received community or suspended sentences.

The true scale of elderly abuse is unknown but independent research suggests around one million people aged 65 and over experience some form of financial, physical, psychological, sexual abuse or neglect every year.

There is currently no statutory definition of a crime against an older person and no specific legislation.

Because age is not a factor prosecutors are unable to apply for an uplift in sentencing under sections 145 and 146 of the Criminal Justice Act.

All they are able to do is draw on the facts of a case to highlight the age or vulnerability of the victim as an aggravating factor.

GETTY

Almost three quarters of the alleged abuse took place in their own home

It has sparked claims that those who deliberately target the elderly are given unduly lenient sentences.

The thief, from Croydon, was employed by Allied Healthcare, then known as Saga.

She was recorded snatching cash from Mrs Berlin’s purse. She initially denied any involvement but confessed to four counts of theft by abuse of position and was given a three-month prison sentence suspended for two years, and ordered to complete 12 months of supervision and 200 hours of community service.

Susan Pell was also caught on camera plundering cash from war hero Peter Carpenter’s wallet when his back was turned.

The true scale of elderly abuse is unknown but around 1 million people 65 and over experience it

She was sentenced to a year-long community order and 150 hours of unpaid community work.

D-Day veteran Mr Carpenter said: “If she was short of money I would have given her £20.”

Older people’s champion and campaigner Dame Esther Rantzen said: “Without wishing to imply that older people are foolish or unwise I do think the courts should recognise their extra vulnerability and these crimes should be treated very seriously indeed.

“It can be even more disturbing when they are preyed upon by those who should be looking after them, like their carers.”

Mr FitzGerald said: “The stories behind these figures are truly horrendous. Older people, often trapped inside their own houses and preyed upon by people they should be able to trust and rely upon.

“Theft, threats, assaults, neglect and intimidation.

“Too many people suffering and sometimes dying, while the systems that are meant to protect them are often insufficient for the job.

About 13 years ago, I made a TV documentary entitled Me And My Mum which chronicled the experience in a nursing home of my then 89-year-old mother, Phyllis, shortly before she died in 2005.

Making that film really brought home to me how frightening old age can be, especially if your mental faculties decline. You become dependent on others for everything.

And if you end up needing to go into a care home I’m afraid to say that in my view we’re simply not doing a good job as a society of treating our mums and dads with dignity.

Don’t get me wrong, there are many excellent carers doing a fantastic job in extremely tough circumstances a lot of the time.

But what struck me with our care system is how easy it is for the sort of bad apples who exist in every walk of life to get access to highly vulnerable people in their twilight years when they’re least able to defend themselves.

It’s little wonder we see cases of shocking abuse and neglect in our newspapers nearly every day. And the calls to Action on Elder Abuse’s free and confidential helpline (080 8808 8141) show that abuse in care homes is just the tip of the iceberg.

In fact, out of nearly 9,000 calls in the past year, almost 80 per cent were to do with abuse taking place in somebody’s own home. And 65 per cent of the calls involved an alleged perpetrator in the victim’s own family.

That’s the thing about elder abuse: It’s often happening disturbingly close to home. And with around one million victims every year in the UK it’s quite likely that you will know of someone who has suffered.

Abuse can also take many forms. It can be physical, like punches and slaps.

It can be financial, from stealing a few quid to defrauding someone out of their life savings.

Often it’s psychological – insults, torments and threats. And it can even involve serious sexual assaults.

But it is also – in nearly every case – a crime. That’s why I give my wholehearted backing for elder abuse to be made an aggravated offence, just like hate crimes based on race, religion, sexuality or disability.

All too often, older people are being targeted precisely because they’re old. And for some crooks, old means vulnerable.

By making elder abuse a crime, we’ll send out a powerful message that says: Commit a crime against an older person and you’ll get a tough sentence, just as society expects.

You can support Action on Elder Abuse’s campaign by signing their petition online at change.org/p/home-office-makethe-abuse-and-neglect-of-olderpeople-a-crime